The Phantom Watchman Mystery
by GrandAmdrThrawn
Summary: Asgard is like any other city with it's rich, middle class, and poor. But one night something unprecedented occurs. A mysterious message is written on the marketplace wall offering to help anyone in need. But who wrote it? Who is helping the poor? Those who take the offer never see him. Who is the Phantom Watchman? Join Thor, Sif, and the Warriors Three to find out.
1. Chapter 1 - The Mystery Begins

The living shadow slipped silently along the wall of a building, heading for the center of town. Following close behind it was a personage in a dark, long cloak, walking quietly along the street in the pale moonlight. It had been a hard decision to do this, and a dangerous one. The shady personage wasn't even suppose to be here, not that he had never been here before, when things were different. But that's why he needed his partner, the wraith that moved along the walls and ground in front.

Finally they came to the center off the marketplace. The market wasn't situated in the center of the city, but in the center on one side, so that it ran up against the wall that surround the city. Here the wraith stopped and waited for it's partner to finish the task they had come to do before returning to obscurity. The cloaked figure pulled out a large piece of chalk from a pouch on his belt and began to write on the portion of the wall that was at the center of the marketplace, where all could see his message, which was as follows:

_If any are in need, let them leave a note on this wall, and if I see fit, I will provide for them. Shopkeepers, if you find that some of your merchandise is missing and there is a stack of coins in your shop to pay for the missing items, do not be alarmed. I am doing the work of mercy._

_- The Watchmen_

So wrote the mysterious cloaked figure on a wall in Asgard deep in the night. After writing his strange message to the world the figure dropped the chalk at the foot of the wall and began the journey back to where he had come from. The sentient shadow followed, but would return to this place to check up on those who wrote their needs on the wall so that the Watchmen would not be deceived and taken advantage of. No one but the Watchmen could see the wraith, so there was no danger of it being seen. Both were eager to see if any would dare to take up the Watchman's offer and ask for help.


	2. Chapter 2 - The First to Dare

It was not long after the breaking of dawn that the marketplace began to fill and the odd message was discovered. People began to gather around the wall and murmur to each other. 'What do you think it means?' 'Why would someone help people like that?' 'Who do you think wrote that?' The same questions were passed as more and more people came to see what the commotion was about but moved on.

But one woman towards noon despondently came to see what the gathering was for. When she saw the message on the wall her heart seemed to stop within her. Then came the fear that this was naught but a trick. But that glimmer of hope refused to be snuffed out. In a sudden surge of courage she stepped up to the wall and picked up the chalk. A hush came over the gathering as she began to write on the wall with a shaky hand,

_My child is very ill and I cannot afford to pay for the medicine he requires. Please, if you are truly compassionate, he needs a mixture of Greenplant root and popping berries. We live at the eighth house to the right of South street on the right side facing south._

She hesitated for a moment before signing underneath it, _'A desperate mother.'_ After that she hurried away though the crowd into the market to run her errands and return home to her children. No one else wrote on the wall that day.

Two hours after dusk that night the same cloaked figure strode down the street to the center of the now abandoned marketplace. He stopped before the wall and couldn't help but smile. The wraith had already told him of the message and its authenticity, but seeing it for himself filled him with joy. Perhaps now he could finally do something for the people of Asgard.

For one to get a medicine in Asgard, one had to go to an apothecary and have him mix the elixir. Unfortunately, such an apothecary would be asleep at this hour, and the Watchmen preferred to not be seen anyway. But for a resourceful personage like himself, there were other ways to procure such a medicine.

The Watchmen walked on to the address of the undersigned woman and carefully laid the bottle of medicine on her doorstep. He had noticed a light in the window and signaled for the wraith to look in the window. It did so and reported in a telepathic whisper that the woman was rocking her young child in a vain attempt to help him sleep despite his persistent cough. The Watchmen nodded in affirmation before quietly rapping on the door and quickly disappearing into the night.

The mother opened the door hopefully and looked around. She was disappointed to see that there was no one there, and concluded that it must have been her imagination. As she hung her head in sadness she caught sight of the bottle on her doorstep and her heart leapt with joy. She quickly picked it up and closed the door with a big smile on her face, knowing that her child would get better now.

Further down the street one of the deeper shadows moved as the Watchmen came out of hiding with an equally wide smile on his face. The satisfaction and joy of helping someone filled his bosom as he returned home with a light step with his spectral partner in tow.


	3. Chapter 3 - The Investigation Begins

No one wrote on the wall the next day or the day after that. But on the third day, another mother wrote the need of her hungry family on the wall. The next morning, she discovered a large basket of food thoughtfully covered with a cloth on her doorstep. There was quite a large buzz about the city when her joyful message of thanks was found on the wall, and various shopkeepers whispered to anyone who would listen of the strange disappearance of their food items only to find a stack of coins on a table or counter. Soon, more and more people began to petition The Watchmen, now dubbed by the people to be the 'Phantom Watchmen' for his anonymity and his unseen doings in the night. Soon, the Phantom Watchmen was 'all the talk'. Not only about the way that he helped people, but some shopkeepers also claimed they heard noises in their shops at night only to find a stack of coins and no one there.

Of course, not everyone was happy about this turn of events. Some shopkeepers did not like someone breaking into their shops at night and taking what they wanted without permission, even though The Watchmen paid in full for what he took. Others just didn't like the idea of someone prowling around the neighborhoods at night. Because of these concerns, a petition was made to the palace for someone with authority to look into the matter and stop The Phantom's unauthorized transactions where they were not wanted. And so it was that the king, Odin, delegated this task to some of his most trusted and resourceful warriors, Lady Sif and the Warriors Three; Frandal, Hogun, and Volstagg.

Having received their commission, the foursome decided to start at the 'writing wall', as it was now called, and begin their investigation there. They came to the wall and just stood a little ways away from it, taking in the whole wall with it's messages scrawled all over it, from the bottom to as high as a man could reach to about ten feet in width. The viewers estimated to themselves that there must be about thirty petitions in all.

"Well, what do we do now?" asked the impatient Frandal.

"Examine The Watchman's handwriting, so that we will be able to recognize it if we see someone write in the same style," Sif replied. They walked up to the wall and began to examine the original message, which was now quite faint and altogether gone in some places.

"What now? It's a little fancy, but that's all that's remarkable about it," Frandal commented.

Sif rolled her eyes before saying, "And what does that mean, Frandal? It means that our Phantom Watchmen is not a common beggar or of the lower class, for they do not learn to write so stylishly."

"The letters are also well-formed, not only in a flamboyant style," Hogun pointed out, "Which means that the Phantom is probably either of the upper class or one who keeps records, such as a shopkeeper who keeps his books, or a scribe. Well-formed letters comes with much practice."

"Agreed," Sif concurred.

"This doesn't help us very much though," Volstagg spoke up, "We already knew that the Watchmen had to be someone who was well off, otherwise they couldn't pay for everything."

"That's true, but perhaps we should ask the king to send out a proclamation asking everyone with money to check and see if anything has been stolen," Sif suggested.

"That would avail us nothing, because the Watchmen would have needed to steal an exorbitant amount of money to pay for everything each night, and I don't think that someone would have not noticed such a large sum of money missing by now," Frandal pointed out.

"Your right. Therefore, we must then assume for the moment that it is someone with a great deal of money, most likely a noble," Sif conceded.

"Agreed, but how do we find him now?" questioned Hogun.

"How about we write on the wall for anyone with information concerning the Watchmen to report to us?" suggested Volstagg.

"That would be detrimental to our task. We'll alert The Watchmen himself that we are looking for him. If he's done something wrong he may stop his activities and disappear altogether," Sif countered.

"But wouldn't that achieve our wanted end result? The shopkeepers want his prowling stopped, and if we drive him back into the hole he came from and he stops his activities, will we not have achieved what everyone wanted?" Frandal said.

"Not everyone," came a new voice from off to the side of the group. A lame beggar sat against the wall with his arm leaning on his crutch. "If you make the Watchmen stop, a lot of people are going to be disappointed and hungry," he pointed up at the writings on the wall above him. "A lot of these requests are for food, others for needed necessities. If you drive her away, you'll be harming the people of Asgard rather than helping them,"

"Her?" Sif prodded.

The elderly beggar chuckled before replying, "Forgive me my lady, but in my opinion, I think The Watchmen is a woman. Generally, women tend to be more caring and want to help people more than men sometimes do, but in my own personal, humble opinion, I like to fancy The Watchmen as a woman," he explained with another chuckle. "But I believe I may be able to help you track her, or him, whichever it may be. There are regulars that make requests on the wall and have them answered. If you come back tomorrow, early, I'll point them out to you and you can ask them some questions concerning our beloved Phantom. Is that acceptable to your ladyship and lords?"

"Yes, very much so, thank you for your help," Volstagg replied for the group before they moved off. "If we can get an idea from these people whether the Phantom is a man or a woman and even get a partial idea of what his face looks like, that will help our investigation greatly," Volstagg intimated to his friends as they made their way back to the palace.

But what they did not notice was a young woman discreetly standing at a nearby booth, quietly listening to the whole conversation. She was dressed in a cloak with the hood pulled, of which was made of a rich material, but in a subdued color, so as not to attract attention. She heard all this talk with worry in her heart, and quickly made up her mind to do something about it.


	4. Chapter 4 - First Contact

Rowena waited impatiently in the shadows of a tall building, just in sight of the writing wall.

_"Where is he?"_ she wondered. After she overheard the investigators from the palace, she decided to try and contact the watchman to warn him about the investigators before they got to him. _"It's getting awfully late. I wonder if he's not coming."_ Then another thought struck her. _"What if he doesn't come to the wall at all at night, but records the requests during the day and distributes the items at night?"_

Disappointment began to settle in. Then, a movement across the plaza caught her eye. A dark figure moved along in the shadows towards the wall.

_ "That's him!"_ Rowena thought with excitement. _"At least, I sincerely hope that's him, and not some reprobate."_

The Phantom moved to stand in front of the writing wall before he began to look around him. As his gaze began to sweep her way, it was as if the air suddenly dropped below freezing, and Rowena couldn't help but shiver. She then realized that the Phantom's sweeping gaze had stopped on her. A cold fear suddenly gripped her heart as her courage melted away and she seriously considered fleeing. But she couldn't move. She continued to stare at the Phantom, and the Phantom continued to stare at her. It was as though if she moved the wraiths of Hel would leap forth from the shadows and come tearing after her. After what seemed like an eternity, the Phantom tilted his head as though he were curious. He then slowly raised a black gloved hand and beckoned to her. Rowena hesitated for a moment before she slowly started to move forward towards him. Then the remembrance of why she was there and all the good things the Phantom had done for people came to her, and she strode forward with a much more purposeful stride as her courage and determination returned to her.

"I've come to warn you that you are in danger," she whispered as she came to stand very close next to the Phantom and looked up into his hood. He was at least six inches taller than her, though that wasn't saying much since she was a rather short woman. "There are investigators from the palace that are looking for you. I'm not sure if they want to arrest you or not, but they definitely want to catch you."

The Phantom just nodded and gave her a slight bow before turning to the wall and taking out a book for notes and a graphite stick from a satchel under his cloak and began to copy the requests into the book. Rowena stood there a few more moments, but the Phantom seemed to be completely ignoring her. She quietly cleared her throat to get his attention, but he continued to ignore her and record the requests.

"Excuse me," she said after a few more moments. "Is there anything I can do to help? I want to help or support you in some way, I've always wanted to help the poor, but never have been sure how to do it." The Phantom just shook his head and continued to write down the requests without turning to look at her. "Please, I would really like to help you. I'm not in it for the fun or thrill, I really want to help the poor, and I don't want you to get caught. Please, you're sure there is nothing I can do?" The Phantom paused in his writing for a few moments before he turned to a new page and wrote this note which he showed to Rowena:

_'Find out who are the shopkeepers that do not approve of my using their inventory and those that do not mind. Meet me back here tomorrow night with your report.'_

"Yes, I shall do that," Rowena readily replied when she had read the note he proffered to her. "You can depend on me, I will not fail you. And don't worry about my telling anyone, I am good at keeping secrets. Do you need any money? I am very well off and can give you some to help pay for everything." They Phantom hesitated for a moment before writing another note below the first one:

_'Not now, though I may need some in the future.'_

"Very well, I shall see you tomorrow then," Rowena said before she hurried off into the night back to her house. The Phantom smiled to see her enthusiasm and began to finish recording all the requests.

"I hope this is not a mistake," he murmured to his shadowy compatriot who was plastered against the wall next to the writing. "No doubt she will want to help more, and what if she is followed or tells someone about where I am at certain times? We'll have to start coming at different times so that she will not waylay us often. I hope she quickly loses interest."

_"On the contrary,"_ the wraith rasped. _"The requests are steadily increasing. You will need assistance soon. We will give her other tasks to test her resourcefulness and skill. If she proves to be a worthy partner, you will teach her how to be stealthier and give her part of your rout. They are searching for one Watchman. If there are two, it will be more difficult for them to find us, much less catch the right one."_

"But what if she is caught? Will she spill everything or remain faithful?"

_"That is a chance we must take. But I will follow her and learn what sort of a person she truly is. This will also determine whether we continue to use her help."_

"I just hope this is the right course of action, and will not lead to our downfall," the Phantom muttered as he put his notepad and writing utensil back in his bag and started to the first stop on his shopping list with his ephemeral partner following behind.

_"We are powerful. It would be difficult for even Odin in all his power to catch us."_

The Phantom snorted quietly. "Your overconfidence will be your downfall."

_"And your lack of faith in yourself and your unwillingness to take risks yours."_

A surge of anger welled up in the Phantom's chest as he spun around to face his wraith companion. "No faith in myself? Not taking risks?" He hissed, "It was because of my cockiness and willingness to take exorbitant risks that I am here now, sunken to this lowly position! Now shut your trap and let me get on with the business at hand without having to listen to your 'sage' advice, oh wise and mighty one." The Phantom stalked up the street with the wraith now quietly sliding along behind.

A drunkard, curled in the shadows of the doorframe that he was in, saw the outburst of the Phantom. But since he could not see whom the Phantom was talking to, he reasoned in his groggy mind that the guy must be just as drunk as that guy was, and soon was back to 'sawing logs' without another thought about it.


	5. Chapter 5 - A Sighting

Sif and the Warriors Three made their way back to the Writing Wall. It was very early in the morning, so there were very few people on the streets. Their beggar friend from the day before was sitting up against The Wall exactly where they had found him before. He had a grouchy look on his face.

"Good morning," Sif greeted him cordially as they approached.

"I suppose it is, but I wish it wasn't so bright out," he said as he squinted up at her and her comrades.

"Why would you say that?' Volstagg asked, amused.

"Well, an old friend of mine who begs on the other side of town got a big donation yesterday and he took me out for a drink to celebrate. Which brings me to my big news. I may or may not have seen the Phantom Watchman last night."

"Really?! Well, what did he look like?" Frandal asked excitedly.

"Well, you see that's just the problem. I was a little drunk at the time. . . alright, I was very drunk. Anyway, I was asleep in a doorframe when I heard a noise. As I slowly woke up I could just make out a shadowy figure coming up the street quietly talking. When he got across to where I was sitting, he whirled around and hissed angrily at something behind him."

"Something?" Hogun asked.

"Yes, something. That's the problem. I could have sworn there was nothing there, but I can't be sure. I was drunk after all. At the time I just assumed that he was as drunk as I was, and went back to sleep. But I thought I should alert you none the less."

"Thank you for mentioning it to us," Sif said distractedly as she surveyed the intersection. The traffic was increasing as the morning went on.

"Here comes a regular now," the beggar said as he nodded to a woman hurrying up the street towards The Wall. She stopped in front of it and picked up the chalk. After searching for a minute she found her message and wrote a big 'Thank you' over top of her request. Sif approached her.

"Excuse me madam, but I would like to ask you a few quick questions. I'm an investigator from the palace."

"Oh, um, alright," the woman said nervously as she turned to face Sif.

"I see that you must have requested something from The Watchman and received it. Did you see him?"

"No, I didn't, and I've never seen him. He always comes in the middle of the night, and I find the basket of food on our doorstep in the morning."

"You're never seen or heard anything that might give you a clue to his identity? Perhaps something he has given you?" Sif questioned.

The woman furrowed her brow and thought for a few moments. "No. . . I don't think so. Is their a problem?"

"Not as yet, but we're trying to contact him to make sure he doesn't have an ulterior motive for helping people. If you see or learn anything about him, please contact us."

"I will my lady. Good day."

Sif and the Warriors Three interviewed many people throughout the morning. Towards the afternoon it seemed as though they had interviewed pretty much everyone, and their lame friend knew of no other regulars that they hadn't already talked to.

"Well, that was unprofitable," Frandal commented to no one in particular as they walked back to the palace. "This Watchman fellow is a very careful person, and certainly didn't leave us any clues to go on. It's rather admirable, really."

"Yes," Volstagg agreed with him. "I just hope that he is not up to any foul play. He seems like a very generous and caring person."

"I suppose there's nothing for it but to lie in wait for him at The Wall and speak with him there," Sif said resignedly.

"Why don't we get Thor to come along with us, if he's not to busy, that is," Frandal suggested.

"Brilliant idea! He's been terribly melancholy and down right mopey ever since he brought Loki back from Midgard. Maybe this little adventure will lift his spirits a little and bring him back to his old self," Volstagg said enthusiastically.

"An excellent idea. It will be good to have him with us again," Hogun concurred.

"It probably won't be an 'adventure' as you say," Sif warned. "What will probably happen is this: we will wait for him, he will come, and then we'll quietly and peacefully talk to him without any trouble."

"You're probably right," Hogun murmured.

"Well, yes," Frandal interjected. "But at least it will get him out of the palace for a while. Give him a breath of the fresh, cool night air. It may still do him some good."

"Perhaps," Sif conceded. "We should probably go to The Wall minimally armed, so that we do not appear threatening to The Watchman."

"That sounds like a wise course of action," Volstagg agreed. Frandal snorted.

"Good luck getting Thor to leave Mjolnir at the palace. That hammer is like an extension of his arm. On the other hand, if he does readily agree to leave it, we'll know something is definitely wrong with him." Frandal joked.

"Do you want to know what I think is 'wrong' with him?" Sif questioned the others.

"What?" Frandal asked suspiciously.

"I think that he's simply grown up, unlike some of you."

"Ha ha very funny Sif," Frandal returned, unamused.

Sif smiled before she continued on in a different tact, "We must seek an audience with the Allfather first, report to him our findings and seek his permission to carry out our plans before we proceed. Let us go there now." Lady Sif and the Warriors Three turned down a hall in the great and grandeur palace to seek the ear of their king and his blessing on their plan.


	6. Chapter 6 - Memories and the Chase

Thor felt like he was missing a part of himself. Sif and the Warriors Three had come to him and pretty much begged for him to come along with them on their little 'adventure'. But it had taken a lot of persuasion and logic from Sif to convince him to leave Mjolnir behind at the palace.

_"This is Asgard, not an enemy battle field,"_ he reminded himself yet again, as he crouched with Sif in the shadows of a building in sight of what he'd been told was termed, The Writing Wall. _"No one would want to attack me here. Why should they? Sif is right, as usual."_ But Mjolnir wasn't the only thing that Thor felt like he was missing. Come to think of it, this was the first 'adventure' Thor had been on in a very long time without one person: Loki. It seemed like Loki had always gone wherever he had, always been by his side. Unbidden, something Loki had said on Midgard came floating back to Thor.

_ "I remember a shadow, living in the shade of your greatness. I remember you tossing me into an abyss, I who was and should be king!"_

Thor shook his head to himself. Loki had become such an enigma. He gets banished to Midgard for a few days and his brother goes completely mad while he's gone. What misfortune will the Norns torment him with next? Thor sighed quietly and leaned back against the wall. Sif looked over at him and murmured quietly,

"It can't be to much longer. He distributes a lot of goods during the night, so he can't get started to late."

"Mm," Thor murmured in answer as he stared at the writing on the wall, which seemed to glow eerily in the pale moonlight. As if on Sif's cue a shadowy figure hurried out from one of the streets and went towards the wall. Half way their the personage suddenly stopped, daintily lifted up her skirts, and carefully stepped over a little puddle before continuing on to stand in front of the wall.

"Holy horses, it is a girl, just like the man speculated!" Sif hissed to Thor, who cocked an eyebrow at her remark but remained silent. They continued to watch the woman for a moment who remained standing before the wall as she took out a piece of paper from within her cloak. Sif tapped Thor on the arm and they both stood up from their positions and started towards her. At their approach she jumped in surprise and spun around to face them.

"Don't be afraid, we only want to talk to you," Sif said to the shrouded woman who was backing away from them. "All we really want to know is who you are, for security reasons. We won't disseminate your identity if you wish to keep it a secret."

"I. . . Um. . ." was all the woman could manage as she continued to back away from Sif.

"Why don't we go somewhere where we can talk and then we'll help you distribute the goods afterwards. Trust me, we mean you no harm."

Suddenly Sif felt like she had walked into a pile of freezing snow, snow that had icy fingers that clung to her ankles and caused her to gasped at the sudden coldness and stumble as she was walking towards the woman. Thor started towards Sif and meant to grasp her arm when he heard what sounded like a rock clattering on the cobblestones behind him, causing him to whirl around to face the 'attacker'. But there was no one there that he could see.

"Thor!" Sif shouted as he whirled around yet again to see the woman duck into an ally. But what really caught his attention was the much larger hooded figure pulling the woman along by the wrist.

"After them!" Thor shouted to the Warriors Three who were hidden about the intersection, and who were even then springing into action before Thor's command. Thor started to follow the men into the ally after the dark duo but quickly remembered Sif. He turned to look for her only to find that she was already by his side.

"I'm fine now," she gasped before they both ran after the others, Thor soon outstripping her with his longer legs. The sounds of the others shouting guided them through the streets into the heart of the city. Soon Thor caught up with the others who were standing at the mouth of a narrow ally. One that was a dead end. Thor came up behind the others with Sif not far behind to see their quarry huddled against the back wall of the short ally.

"Well, now what?" Frandal asked.


	7. Chapter 7 - All Hel Brakes Loose

Yes, Rowena was scared. But at least The Phantom had come to her rescue. He was holding her hands now as they both stared at the group of men standing at the head of the ally. Another man ran up to them along with a woman a few moments later, and Rowena could barley make out the color of red in the new male addition to the group.

"Is that. . . Prince Thor? Oh, we're really screwed now." Rowena whispered to here companion. The Phantom only gave a weary sigh in response. They were silent for a moment as they watched the group of officials discuss their course of action.

"Get ready, I'm going to boost you over the wall in one swift motion," the Phantom whispered to Rowena quietly. This was the first time The Phantom ever spoke to her, and it took her back a second.

"What about you?" she whispered back.

"I'll try to get around them."

Rowena pursed her lips, the success of that plan being obviously slim. She looked up at the wall, which was not a squat piece of masonry. "I could try to pull you over once I get on top, especially if you got a bit of a running start."

The Phantom sighed. "Something horrifying is about to happen. I don't want you to see it," he murmured to her, his attention never leaving their adversaries.

"I'm not afraid," Rowena whispered after she had gazed at the Phantom for a few moments with a cold fear settling into her stomach contradictory to her words.

The Phantom looked her full in the face, though neither of them could see each other's visage. "You will be." The Phantom glanced back at the group, of whom Thor was now slowly and cautiously approaching. "One," The Phantom said quietly still starring at Thor. "Two," he murmured as he faced Rowena got a good grip on her waist. "Three!" He grunted as her spun Rowena around a little to face the wall and with one mighty heave tossed her on top of the wall.

"Stop!" Rowena heard, whom she presumed to be Thor, shout behind her as she quickly clung to the top of the wall and swung a leg over the wall and turned so she could reach down a hand to The Phantom. As she turned she saw Thor approaching fast, until it was as if a crack reaching all the way down to Hel opened up between Thor and The Phantom, and it's fiery flames leapt forth along with a flaming but also dark figure. The most terrifying screech Rowena ever heard rent the air, paralyzingly her and terrifying her to the core.

It is during times such as these that the true metal and worth of a person are shown in the heat of great stress. Despite the sight of that horrifying figure and the absolute terror it's screams brought, she did not forget the task at hand, but with a surge of courage that comes from whence no one knows she averted her eyes from the spectacle and reached down to grasp The Phantom's hand and with all her might and weight pulled the Phantom onto the top of the wall with her and jumped down on the other side with him.

This time, instead of The Phantom leading her in their flight, she led him. They ran in a meandering way at first but then got onto straighter streets and let their heels take wing. They ran clear across the city of Asgard, into the richer side of town. Rowena led him to a specific shop and raised her hand to knock, but the Phantom grabbed her hand before she could do so.

"It's okay," she reassured him. "I talked with the owner today, I know him well. He's very enthusiastic about your work and wants very much to help." The Phantom hesitated for a moment before giving a short nod and lifted his hand to the lock. Rowena was a little shocked and surprised to see golden tendrils of light emanate from his hand and go into the lock. A moment later their was a click from the lock and The Phantom pushed open the door and went inside, Rowena close on his heels. As soon as they were inside she turned and locked the door.

"I think we'll be safe he- " Rowena gasped in shock and then started gasping for breath as The Phantom pinned her against the door by the throat.

"I swear to the Norns if you betray me. . ." The Phantom hissed in her face. Rowena pulled at his hand, trying desperately to get it off her throat as she stared at him wide eyed in horror.

_"Get a hold of yourself Rowena, slow down."_ She thought as she tried valiantly to calm down, but then noticed something that gave her pause. The Phantom was trembling. And his breath was coming in short, ragged gasps.

"Don't be afraid," she rasped. The Phantom didn't budge for a moment, but all of a sudden he gasped and released his hold on her throat and immediately pulled her into a tight embrace, much to Rowena's shock.

"I'm sorry," he whispered into her ear. "I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm so, so sorry."

"It. . . It's okay," Rowena murmured, still in shock as she mechanically patted him on the back. The Phantom quickly released her as though he had committed a crime in touching her and began rapidly pacing back and forth along the length of the shop before sinking into a chair with a moan. He planted his elbows on his knees and buried his unseen face in his gloved hands. Rowena sat down in the chair next to him and gently laid her hand on his shoulder after a moment of silence and murmured to him again, "It's going to be okay."

"No, it's not," he responded sitting up suddenly and slumping into the back of the chair. "I had decided to avoid you after tonight so you wouldn't, couldn't get in trouble. But now you know to much, I'll have to make you my partner, trust you." He hung his head, "Trust does not come easily to me."

Rowena nodded understandingly. "Trust is like taking a leap of faith. Like love. You hope and trust that they will not betray you or break your heart, yet you still take the risk because the reward out ways the possible cost."

The Phantom snorted lightly. "You are in love I take it?" He asked her.

"No, but I think I might be falling," Rowena whispered as she put her hand on top of The Phantom's. He snorted again and moved his hand out from under hers. "To pursue me is to court curses. Is this why you help me? Because you are attracted to me?" He asked, his tone growing angry.

"No, but. . . I don't know, I've never felt this way before. And I think it may have just started."

Suddenly, the back door of the shop was throne open and light pored through the doorway onto them. "Who are you and why are you here?" A voice thundered to them from the doorway.


	8. Chapter 8 - Truth in the Name

Rowena jumped up at the sound of the man's voice and quickly exclaimed, "It's alright Garmond! It's me, Rowena."

An elderly man came through the door with a candle in one hand and a sword in another. He starred at Rowena for a moment, before asking, "How did you get in here?" But before Rowena could answer The Phantom rose to his feet from behind her from where he had remained sitting the whole time. "Who's that?" Garmond asked, alarmed, and raised his sword in a more defensive position.

"Garmond, _this_ is The Phantom Watchman." It took a moment for that to sink in for Old Garmond before he lowered his sword and said, "It's a pleasure to have you in my establishment sir. What can I do for you?"

The Phantom moved to stand before the counter and took out his book for notes and his graphite stick. He stood there for a few moments, tapping the eraser against his unseen lips in thought before he began to write out a list of items on the paper. When he had finished he tore it off and handed it to Garmond, who looked it over.

"I can supply you with all of these items. However, I'm afraid I'm not well off enough to give it all to you for free, as I would like, but I'll take 30% off of everything. Is that alright?" The Phantom Watchman only nodded in answer. The Phantom wrote another note on his paper and showed it to the shopkeeper.

_"I'm going to take Rowena home. Please have everything ready when I return. Tell no one that I was here tonight."_

Garmond nodded before saying, "Your secret is safe with me. I hope you will use my establishment often."

The Phantom grasped Rowena's upper arm and went to the door, cautiously looking both ways down the street before venturing out. As The Phantom closely followed Rowena back to her home, Rowena could no longer hold back a question which would not go away.

"Phantom," she whispered to him. "Why did we run? Why not just talk to them and tell them what they wanted to know? Then we wouldn't be in trouble." The Phantom didn't answer, but continued walking with his head slightly down. After a moments hesitation Rowena decided not to press him.

As they were walking along in the deep quiet of the night, The Phantom suddenly grabbed Rowena's arm and went straight through the nearest wall with her. Rowena felt an intense tingling sensation, along with the feeling that something was scraping against every fiber of her being. As soon as they were through the wall The Phantom clasped his hand over her mouth so she wouldn't make a sound in response to what he had just done. As they waited, they heard footsteps go by the house Rowena and The Phantom were now in and the muffled murmuring of voices.

They waited a few more moments after the people had gone by before they dared to move. The Phantom let go of Rowena and slumped against the wall with a soft moan. "Are you alright!?" Rowena whispered, alarmed.

"I will be in a few minutes," The Phantom rasped back, as though he were in pain. Rowena noticed that he was shivering and couldn't help but wrap her arms around him and hold him close. She waited a few minutes for him to recover before she tentatively asked in a soft whisper,

"How did you do that?"

"With a magic that comes at a very high price," The Phantom answered before he unsteadily stood up with Rowena's help. "How much farther is it to your abode?"

"Just a few more blocks, but I'm worried about you. Maybe you shouldn't deliver tonight, or perhaps I should go back and do it for you. You could stay at my house if you'd like, I could hide you until night comes again."

"No, no, I'm fine now," The Phantom answered confidently as he made his way through a hall with Rowena at his back to the door that led onto the street they were on. They walked on until Rowena stopped before a small gate at the back of a very large mansion.

"You're a noble-woman, aren't you," The Phantom asked.

"Perhaps," Rowena said with a teasing smile. "What time should we meet at the wall tomorrow night?"

The Watchman was silent for a moment before he answered, "Let us meet at your friend Garmond's shop, he seems like a trustworthy fellow. We'll keep mixing it up so they can't follow our schedule."

"Alright, see you tomorrow then," Rowena said as she started to go through the gate.

"Rowena!" The Phantom called softly as he grasped her arm. "When you come, walk always in the shadows. Pause often to listen, and if you ever see _anything_ that seems off or strange, avoid it, and give it a wide berth."

"I'll be careful," Rowena reassured him, giving him a sweet smile. She turned to go in the courtyard before she stopped short with a soft 'Oh!' and turned back around. "I forgot to. . ." But he was gone. Completely gone. "Give you this," Rowena finished to herself in a whisper. It was the list of shopkeepers who approved of The Watchman's doings that he had asked for the night before, and in all the excitement she had forgotten to give it to him. _"Oh well, I'll just give it to him tomorrow,"_ she thought to herself as she went in the house.


	9. Chapter 9 - The Plan Maker

That bitter taste: defeat. Sif had only tasted it a few times before in her military career, but this was different. It was at the hands of only two people in their own city, and they got away without a trace. She, the Warriors Three, and Thor were seated around a table drinking ale to drown their frustration. Or at least, that was what she was doing, she couldn't speak for the others. She dreaded the time when they'd have to give The Allfather their report.

"We need to talk about what happened, see what clues we can gain from the encounter," Hogun suggested quietly.

"Agreed," Thor said. "Obviously, This Phantom Watchman is not alone, and he may have more allies than the one we saw."

"Yes, this does present a greater problem for us, doesn't it," Sif said dejectedly.

"Can we talk about. . . that thing?" Frandal asked timidly. "I've never seen or heard anything like it. I don't know about the rest of you but I think I'm going to have nightmares about that creature for a very long time."

"It's scream put such fear in my heart that I could not move a muscle," Hogun murmured, and the other readily agreed with him. There was a few moments of silence before the prince spoke up.

"It may not have been real," Thor said almost hopefully. "I've seen Loki make some illusionary monsters to scare his foes away before. He's even used them a few times on me."

"But it couldn't have been Loki because he's in prison." Volstagg said. "He is in prison, right?"

"Yes, he is," Thor reassured him. "I asked one of the prison guards concerning him this morning. He's still there, and more bored than a falcon tied to its perch with a hood on." This made everyone smile a bit and lightened the mood a little.

"Do you know of anyone in Asgard that is skilled in the art of magic besides Loki and the Queen, Thor?" Sif asked him. Thor furrowed his brow in thought for a few moments before shaking his head slowly.

"Not that I am aware of, though Father or Loki might know if there are."

"But what if it wasn't an illusion," Volstagg reminded the others. "What if it was all to real. That means that there is some kind of demon lurking in Asgard."

Thor sighed dejectedly. "Loki always studied such stories and legends. I wish he were here now, he'd know what to do." At this, an idea came to Sif.

"Well, you said he was bored, didn't you?" A slow smile crept up Thor's face as he caught on to where Sif was going with this.

"I did say that, didn't I?" Thor said, amusement in his voice.

"We should bring him up to speed on everything, he very well may be able to help us. He was always good at concocting plans," Hogun said in favor of the unspoken suggestion.

"He'll have an outside view of the whole thing, too. We should bring him in. Any objections?" Sif asked.

"Just one condition," Frandal piped up. "If he does concoct a plan for us, we don't tell him the outcome for at least a week after the fact, just to make him stew for a while."

"I second the motion," Sif heartily agreed. She never had liked Loki much.

Thor shrugged indifferently. "Why not. It's about five a.m. now, let's catch a few hours of sleep and then go talk to him."

"Sounds like the best plan we've had yet," Volstagg heartily agreed.

"The only plan you would consider better would be if it had food involved in there somewhere." Frandal gibed.

"Of course!" Volstagg said happily as they all went their separate ways.

_"He's changed,"_ Sif thought to herself as they approached Loki's cell a few hours later. It wasn't just his physical appearance that was different though. Yes, his hair was longer and he seemed a bit paler, but it was the aura about him that was different. Gone was that intense sense of his introverted disposition, and, like Thor, that boyishness that had been present not so long ago had vanished. In it's place was a dark, brooding, menacing feel, one that disturbed Sif in the fact that it made her wonder what had become of the jealous trickster she had once known.

"So, you've finally come to gloat and mock me have you?" Loki asked as they approached his cell and he walked up to his side of the force field to meet them.

"No, we've come to seek your council and advice," Thor corrected in a patient tone.

"My advice? Wouldn't you rather jump off the Rainbow Bridge? It's not a pleasant experience I assure you. But surely not as unpleasant as having to admit you are somehow lost and need me."

"Loki, may I remind you that you _let go_, and that I did not throw you into the void?" Thor said, remembering what Loki had accused him of on Midgard.

"Of course, you're right. You're always right. But I've had a lot of time to think in here Thor," Loki said as he got as close to the force field in front of Thor as he could without getting zapped. "And I can't help but wonder what The Allfather would have done if it had been you that fell into the void. He would have jumped after you, wouldn't he?" Thor just gave a little shrug and held Loki's intense gaze without wavering or comment. "I think he would have," Loki continued. "But of course, he didn't go after me. And why should he? Why should he, the ruler of the great and glorious Asgard, go after or even look for a Jotun runt that he found to be no longer worth a grain of sand!" Loki said accusingly in a loud, angry voice. "He should have left me to die on Jotunheim," he finished in a low growl.

_"'Jotun runt?!' 'Left on Jotenheim?!' What does this mean? Why have we never been told of this? This explains a lot about Loki's character."_ Sif thought to herself.

"Loki, you know none of that's true, you're lying to yourself!" Thor retorted.

"Am I?" Loki returned, challengingly.

"Yes, you are!" Thor shouted at him as he hit the force field, making Loki flinch back. "I have not come here to argue with you, we seek your advice and information." Thor more calmly informed him.

"About what?" Loki grumbled as he began to pace back and forth in the cell.

"There is a man called The Phantom Watchman, who breaks into shops at night, takes and pays for what he needs before distributing the goods to the poor, giving them what they have asked for on a certain wall in the east marketplace."

"And?" Loki prodded questioningly.

"We sought to meet him at the wall one night, to talk to him and learn of his identity for security reasons, but he ran from us. When we chased him, he foiled us with what we think may have been an illusion, like the ones you make, that startled us and caused us to loose him." Thor explained.

"How embarrassing for you," Loki sympathized sarcastically as he continued to pace.

"Do you know of anyone in Asgard besides you and mother who possesses the power to do this?" Thor asked, unfazed.

Loki continued to pace in silence for a few moments before he replied, "No, I don't know of anyone, but I wasn't such a public idol as you are. I hardly know anyone in comparison."

"You learned about magic from the queen, but also from the ancient books that are here in the palace," Sif said, speaking up for the first time. "Is it possible someone could have gotten access to these books?"

"Yes, if they have permission from The Allfather to use the royal library, then it is possible. But in my opinion it takes a teacher for one to learn magic, books alone will not really accomplish this."

"Even if he has been to the library, we're still going to have to catch him." Frandal added. "We were hoping you would come up with a plan for us, since you were always good at coming up with well-laid plans, and a guard told Thor you were bored, so we thought we'd give you something to do," Frandal ended, hoping to make Thor look good and assuage the brother's feelings towards each other.

Loki rolled his eyes and sighed resignedly. "Tell me everything you know about him," he commanded as he started to pace again. They told him everything down to the last detail, all their observations and even general rumors. When they had finished Loki continued to pace back and forth, deep in thought. After a few moments he seemed to remember they were still there and said to them, "Let me have time to think the plan through. Come back tomorrow afternoon or so and I should have it ready."

"Thank you brother," Thor said with a warm smile as they turned to leave.

"At least we've finally found an important skill that I posses and you lack after all these years. Perhaps there's still hope for me yet." Loki gibed as they started to walk away.

"There's always hope, brother," Thor said a little sadly as he stopped and turned back.

"You _do_ fully realize I'm not your brother, don't you?"

"Blood relation does not necessarily dictate family relation. One can have a blood brother that is also his mortal enemy and be as nothing to him. In the same way, one can have very close, dear friends, that do not share any blood with him, but are still his family," Thor laid his hand on Sif and Hogun's shoulders. "These too are my family, even though we do not share any blood."

"So how do I fall into your categorization?" Loki asked with a slightly amused smile. "I am your enemy, and I don't share your blood."

"No, Loki, you share my heart." This comment seemed to baffle Loki for a moment. "You may be my nemesis," Thor continued, "But I also love you very, very much. And even if you were to turn into a Chitari tomorrow, I would still love you, because it doesn't matter to me what you are or look like. Because you posses a piece of my heart, you will always be my brother, Loki. Never forget that." With that the group turned and left the prisons, Loki starring after them in mild bewilderment and scorn.


	10. Chapter 10 - The Plan

Rowena slowly paced back and forth in Garmond's shop. She had got there half an hour earlier to find that Garmond was still piddling in his shop, even though it was after closing time. He told her that The Watchman had told him of his intension to use his establishment again that night, and had waited up for him. Garmond was now sitting on his stool behind the counter, watching her pace back and forth.

"He'll be here lady, do not worry," he reassured her quietly.

"I can't help but worry, especially after what happened last night." She continued to pace on in silence until there was a soft knock on the door a little while later. Rowena flew to the door, quickly unlatching and opening it for The Phantom who slid inside the instant after she opened it.

"We have a problem," The Phantom said in a low voice, the first time he'd allowed anyone but Rowena to hear his voice. "The investigators have asked Loki to concoct a plan to catch us. I am told by my informant that it will be ready by tomorrow."

"What are we going to do?" Rowena asked with a slight quaver in her voice. Prince Loki was known for his schemes, though in the past they were usually to make some cruel mischief on someone.

"You need to change the way you go about your business," Garmond suggested.

"Exactly," The Phantom agreed as he began to pace back and forth as Rowena had only a moment before. "I have a daring plan, but it will involve many more people, therefore putting us at a much higher risk as well as the people who help us."

"What do you have in mind?" Garamond asked, thoroughly interested.

"A league of Watchmen. One person will be assigned to copy the requests at dusk, a task which will be rotated among the members in order to avoid suspicion. The other members will gather at a designated location, such as here, and the requests will be parceled out. Then, just after dark and while there's still plenty of people going about, these people will quietly deliver the items while still blending in with the rest of the crowd. They place the items on the doorstep, knock, and then quickly slip away."

"Sounds like a good plan to me," Rowena remarked. "The only difficult part will be finding trustworthy people."

"That will be you and Garmond's task for tomorrow. I think it wise that I do not make an appearance at all tomorrow. You all will be on your own." Rowena gulped. "But let me make one thing very clear," The Phantom continued. "Delivering the items is not of paramount importance. Not getting caught is. Make it clear to the volunteers that they shouldn't take to great a risk to deliver the items. Safety is the most important thing here, the poor can do without the requested items for one day or two. Prioritize if you need to."

"Understood sir," Garamond assured him, taking on a tone of importance and authority. The Phantom Watchman clasped him on the shoulder. "Good man. All my hopes and faith rest on your shoulders. And yours too, my little partner," The Phantom said, turning to Rowena and laying a hand on her shoulder also as he did so. The Phantom heaved a sigh and reached into his bag and tossed his list of the night's items on the counter. "Alright Watchmen, let's get started."

Sif, Volstagg, and Thor made their way down to the prisons the next afternoon to see if Loki was ready with his plan. They found him sitting in his chair starring off into space with a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Do you have a diabolical plan ready brother?" Thor asked him with a smile.

Loki rolled his eyes before replying, "I'm not sure I'd call it diabolical, but I do have a plan that I think will work, but your going to need a lot of manpower."

"I'm willing to do whatever it takes,"

"Alright, I'm ready," Volstagg said from behind Thor. He and Sif turned, wondering what he was talking about, to see him with a graphite stick and a book of notes in his hands. "I don't want to miss or forget anything," he explained. Loki gave him an amused smile before he leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees.

"Here's the plan," he started. "The problem you all had last time was that you were so startled by the apparition, that this Phantom Watchman person and his compatriot got away cleanly. However, I assume he still delivered the goods that were requested that same night. Am I correct?"

"Yes, you are," Sif affirmed.

"Excellent. Therefore, I think you should follow a similar plan as you did the other night and try to contact him at The Wall. Since you've tried that before, you'll know better what to expect and be better prepared. If he still doesn't talk to you peaceable, you'll have men stationed at the various houses that your beggar friend has told you he frequents. This may be unexpected to him, and they may have a higher chance of catching him. Plus, if he is using magic to elude you, having to use magic at every house to escape the guards will be very taxing on him. And the more weary he becomes, the easier it will be for you to catch him."

"Sounds like a fairly sound plan," Volstagg commented as he finished making his notes.

"Indeed," Thor agreed. "Thank you Loki, we will inform you of your plan's success or failure tomorrow." Loki only gave them a curt nod as they left to prepare for the night.


	11. Chapter 11 - Failure and Success

"It didn't work, Loki," Thor called to his brother has he approached his cell. Loki looked up a bit surprised from were he was sitting on the floor.

"Really? No activity at all?"

"Nothing," Thor affirmed. "The people who receive things from him said that he came much earlier in the night than usual." Thor sighed dejectedly. "It would seem this fellow is much more clever than we supposed. I am at a loss for what to do now. We can't continue such a vigil all the time."

Loki got a far away look in his eyes as he remained silent for few minutes. "I may be able to think of another plan," he said quietly in a low voice. "I think someone is going to have to get on the inside of their organization. However, I'm going to have to think very hard on how it will not be obvious he is a spy. Give me time to think on this, will you?"

"Oh course," Thor agreed hurriedly. "I will see you tomorrow then?"

"Yes, of course," Loki replied a bit distantly. Thor left the prisons not feeling much better about the whole situation than he did before.

Everything had gone according to plan. Between Rowena and Garmond, they had collected thirteen new trustworthy recruits and had managed to distribute everything within an hour and a half that night. Some of them reported seeing heightened military activity around the city as they were finishing up their rounds, but no one had any problems to speak of. They now all waited in Garmond's store for their mysterious leader. Some spoke to each other in low voices, while others simple remained silent in quiet anticipation.

The sun had not been long below the horizon before their hooded leader quietly stepped into the shop and locked the door behind him. There was instantly a hush among the Watchmen as they all looked upon him with anticipation. He stood their for a few moments just surveying his volunteers before he went over to the counter and picked up the retrieved list of needed items. Being proactive, they had already parceled out the items to the different delivery men based on location and quantity, as was indicated by all the circling and lines attached to names all over the list. The Phantom silently nodded in approval before handing it to one of the recruits. He pointed to the list once it was in the man's hands and made a circling motion over it.

"Everything is collected and ready to go," Garmond spoke up, guessing at what The Phantom was getting at. The Phantom nodded in approval before pointing at Garmond and Rowena and then at the floor, indicating they were to stay there. The he made a circling gestured to encompass everybody else and then made a shooing motion, indicating they should get on with their routs. Everyone quickly scurried about to do The Phantom's bidding before cautiously making their way out the front and back of the store to deliver their loads.

After everyone was gone The Phantom spoke up. "How did last night go?" They gave him a full report and told him a little about his recruits. "It is good everything is well, for now we have another problem," The Phantom told them wearily. "My informant tells me that they are making plans to insert a spy in our midst. We must be very careful of everyone from here on out. Probably not take any more recruits."

"Agreed," Garmond concurred. "They probably shouldn't even come every night to avoid suspicion. And we shouldn't use my establishment every night either," he added.

"Yes, I thought of that too," The Phantom affirmed.

"Who is your informant, if I may ask," Rowena asked timidly.

"You can never know that," The Phantom told her firmly, but gently.

"We scheduled for you and Rowena to deliver to five houses very close to here if we have nothing more to talk about," Garmond informed him.

"No, I have nothing more, let us go." Garmond handed The Phantom and Rowena a couple of baskets and sacks, and the two set out for the prescribed houses.

Thor couldn't sleep. This problem with the Phantom Watchman greatly troubled him, and he felt like the answer was probably starring him in the face, but try as he might he still couldn't see it. He couldn't stand it any longer, it was obvious he wasn't going to get any sleep. After getting dressed and wandering aimlessly through the halls of the palace for a little while, Thor found himself wandering down to the dungeons. Thor knew Loki would probably be asleep at this hour, but he didn't care. He just wanted to look at him and think, and that's what he did. Loki was curled under his blanket on his cot sleeping peacefully. Thor starred at him enviously and wished he could sleep so peacefully.

But after starring at him for a few minutes he noticed something.

A costly flaw in the illusion.

The blanket that apparently covered his brother didn't quite reach all the way over him to the cot, and a thin hairline of light that had bounced off the wall on the other side could be seen between his brother and the bed. Thor stepped up to the force field. "Loki, brother, wake up!" Thor called to him loudly. No response. Thor ran down the hall and got the guard with the key to turn off the force field. As soon as it was off , Thor walked in and went to touch his brother's shoulder, but the illusion of the figure on the bed vanished in a golden shower the instant Thor touched it.

And with that the pieces clicked in Thor's head as he ran down the hall at full speed to find his missing nemesis.


	12. Chapter 12 - Finally Caught

They went through their rout carefully and quietly. Many times Rowena felt like she should say something, but feared that even one word would shatter the stillness of the air and cause them to be found. But as she and The Phantom were walking back to Garmond's shop, she couldn't help but say something.

"I would really like to get to know you better, if I may?" The Phantom didn't reply. "Um, I've been meaning to ask you, what was that. . . thing. . . the other night? When we were being chased?" Still no reply. He just continued to look down in a brooding manner and as he walked, ignoring her. Rowena didn't dare talk to him again. She longed to know his identity, to become his friend. He seemed so lonely and distrustful. She felt that if she could just penetrate that dark exterior she could help him, make him happy.

_"Oh, be quiet Rowena, you're sounding like a love sick fool,"_ she thought to herself as they continued to walk along the street, keeping to the shadows.

All of a sudden, seemingly out of nowhere, The Phantom abruptly shoved her forward and said, "Run!" Before darting down a side street himself. Lightning rent the sky as she dove into a stable and cracked the door so she could still peak out. She could just make out Prince Thor in his crimson cape high above the city, causing the lightning to jump between the clouds and illuminate the city. After a moment he suddenly darted down into the city and out of Rowen's sight. Her heart was gripped with fear because she knew he must have spotted and gone after her partner.

The Phantom sped along the streets in a zigzag pattern, trying to find shelter from the illuminating lightning as a thousand curses for his idiocy ran through his head. He noticed the lightning seemed to abruptly tail off when his wraith companion suddenly hissed telepathically,

_"Phase!"_

The Phantom forced his body to become non-solid in the split second before Thor's hammer would have hit him square in the back, but instead passed right through him and dug a ditch in the street. The Phantom staggered from the effort of phasing, but managed to quickly stumble down a side street to avoid getting the recalled hammer in the stomach, but could hear the prince hot on his heals.

"Loki! Stop this madness!" Thor shouted from behind him.

_"He knows,"_ Loki, The Phantom, thought to himself. _"Maybe I should stop, maybe I should try and fight him, I'm tiring quickly."_

_"No! Do not stop, keep running! He may be just guessing."_ His spectral partner insisted desperately, having read his thoughts as it stayed alongside him.

His ghostly partner suddenly fell back and pulled the same stunt in did but a few days earlier. It made itself visible for but a few moments and let loose it's blood curdling scream. However, Thor had been expecting something of the sort, and ran right through the specter unperturbed.

_"Well that was a failure,"_ Loki thought to the wraith. _"You just used up all your energy. Great. Just great."_

_"I had to try **something**,"_ the wraith thought back irritably.

Loki continued to run through the streets, not really even knowing or caring where he was going, just so long as he got away. But the more he ran, the more weary he became, and he started to stumble more and more. It wasn't long before Thor was literally right behind him.

"Loki, stop, this is pointless," he said as he reached out and caught the back of Loki's cloak as they were still running. Loki abruptly stopped, causing Thor to run into him, giving extra force to the jab he landed in Thor's stomach with his elbow. He managed to get loose and just as quickly as he stopped he took off again having caught Thor off guard.

He turned down the nearest alley to see that it was a dead end. A firm determination settled in his gut as he sped up rather than slowed down and quickly phased through the wall. Thor had to slam on the breaks and use his hammer to smash the small partition to pieces so that he would not run into it and he could continue to pursue The Phantom unhindered.

However, phasing in quick succession took a heavy toll on Loki, and he found that he had made a bad decision, for now he could barely walk. As he heard the crash and crumble of the rock wall behind him he tried to phase one last time into a house next to the alley before the dust cleared, but this time was different. Instead of easily phasing through he could barely push his hand through. He found himself applying more and more pressure with little results as Thor ran up behind him.

"Brother, stop!" Thor called as he yanked Loki by the shoulder away from the wall. Loki yelled in pain as the skin in his hand was torn off from the sudden movement and his hand started profusely bleeding. He carefully held his hand in front of him as he sunk to his knees in front of Thor and gripped his stomach with his other hand in pain from the effort of phasing. Thor dropped down to his knees in front of his brother and laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Brother, what have you done?" Thor asked in deep concern.

"Don't touch me, I'm not your brother and you know it," Loki hissed as he tried to move his shoulder out from under Thor's hand. "Leave me alone."

"You know I can't do that, Loki. How did you manage to get out of your cell?" Loki didn't answer as he tried to struggle to his feet but almost toppled over from dizziness and fatigue.

Rowena was hidden behind the corner of a nearby building as she watched Thor and Loki, who was better known to her as The Phantom Watchman. She had come looking for The Phantom shortly after Thor had disappeared from the skies, hoping to cause a distraction so that perhaps her beloved partner would not be caught. But now she looked on in bewilderment as she processed what she had overheard.

_"Prince Loki is The Phantom Watchman? This almost does not seem possible! He is in prison, or was, and he is reportedly a trickster and lier, why would he want to help the poor?"_ As she continued to peek around the corner at them, The Phantom leaned with his good hand against a building and coughed wetly, while Thor continued to kept a firm hand on his arm.

"Brother we need to go to the palace, you need a healer," Thor firmly told Loki.

"Oh course, so you can put me in chains for good this time," Loki spat back at his brother.

"Since you have escaped multiple times, is that not the logical course of action to take next?" Loki didn't answer, but just stood their looking down at his crimson hand in silent contemplation.

"Come, Loki, let us go," Thor said gently as he tugged at Loki's arm. Loki slowly followed, still looking down at his hand as if he were in a daze.

Rowena slipped back behind her corner into the deepest of shadows as they passed her by, and then silently moved to follow them to the palace. Being a noble woman, the guards would know her and let her in, though she determined it would be best if she entered through a different gate then the ones her quarry would go through, just to be safe.


	13. Chapter 13 - how it All Began

As Thor and Loki approached the main gate to the palace, Sif and the Warriors Three came running towards them from where they had stood in the gate.

"You caught him!" Frandal cried jubilantly.

"Have the King and Queen been awakened?" Thor inquired.

"They have been aroused by all of the commotion and are awaiting news in the audience hall," Sif informed him.

"Oh dear, he's hurt," Volstagg commented, seeing Loki's bloodied hand that he was still holding in front of him and starring at, still seeming to be in a daze. "We should take him to a healer to have that bandaged before we present him to the sovereigns."

"Who is he? Did you find out his name?" Frandal questioned eagerly.

"I realized who he was this evening, and then went after him. It is not who we suspected," Thor murmured distractedly as he stood their looking at his brother. He was worried, Loki had seemed to have suddenly lost the will to fight and had been in a daze ever since. "Loki, brother, are you alright?"

"What?" Volstagg breathed, shock falling on all of The Warriors and Sif as they stared at the hooded figure who was continuing to stare at his hand, and did not seem to have heard his brother's query.

"Brother?" Thor said, his voice carrying a slight tone of worry now. "Loki, say something. What's wrong?"

There was silence for a moment before Loki answered, almost inaudibly, "I. . . I pushed to far. . . my body. . . hasn't. . . fully changed. . . But. . . I think I went to far. . . and now. . . now I will never be the same. . . I have passed the point of no return." This last remark was laced with a hint of despair as he took a shuddering breath and seemed to regain himself. "Are we going to the healers or not? Or are you just. . . going to throw me into chains. . . and not worry about it?"

Thor forced a slight smile onto his lips, glad that his brother seemed to be coming back to himself, but still worried nonetheless about his brother's strange murmurings and what they meant. "Come, let us go," he said, gently leading his brother inside, trailed by the stunned Warriors Three and Sif.

They went to the healing room where the healers quietly salved and bandaged Loki's hand, asking no questions, which Thor was grateful for. He was also grateful that his friends asked no more questions either. When the healers were finished they made their way to the audience room where the sovereigns sat pensively on their thrones in anticipation, for word had traveled quickly that The Phantom Watchman was Loki. When they entered the Queen rose from her throne and hurried to her sons.

"Loki, my son, are you all right? I heard you were hurt," the Queen, Frigga, said in concern.

"No, I'm not all right, and I never will be again," Loki answered her quietly.

"What do you mean? What has happened?" Frigga said in alarm, looking back and forth between her sons.

"Loki, answer us truly, what is really wrong?" Thor told him firmly.

"I told you, I exerted myself to far, and now I've passed the point of no return," Loki answered casually.

"You speak in riddles my son, speak to us plainly that we may understand," Frigga said gently as she reached for his hands, but gave a quick intake of breath when Loki snatched back his wounded hand to his chest, causing her to notice his wound for the first time.

"What is the matter Thor?" Odin asked as he came up to them and laid a hand on his wife's shoulder.

"I am uncertain father," Thor began. "I chased Loki through the streets, and he used some sort of magic to walk through a wall. He then tried to do it again into a house, but. . . something was wrong, only his hand was going through, and when I yanked him away from the wall. . . "

"The skin was torn off," Loki finished shortly. "Mother, do you remember those stories you once told us, of the wraiths who were condemned to walk the world of the living for eternity, and that they only had one chance to condemn someone else in the world of the living to their same fate?"

"Yes, I remember those stories, but they are just. . . legend," Frigga faltered as her face suddenly became pale.

"No, they are all too real. I am living proof of that," Loki said as he looked up for the first time into his mother's face. She gave a quick intake of breath to see that a small, glowing bronze speck had appeared amidst the light sapphire of his right eye, and she reached out to touch his face.

"What is this?" she asked in a whisper.

"What's what?" Loki asked with a cock of an eyebrow.

"There is a bronze speck in the iris of your right eye, brother," Thor informed him. "It almost seems to be glowing."

"Hmm, I'm not surprised. I pushed my phasing ability to far, and no doubt this is the result. If I were to continue to push myself like that, I wouldn't be surprised if my eyes turned completely bronze and I faded away from sight."

"My son, tell us from the beginning everything that has happened," Odin commanded him gently as he went to sit back down on his throne.

"It began when I was just a child," Loki started. "I had snuck into the vault room, and was looking at and examining the relics there for myself without any supervision. On a shelf in one of the side halls, I discovered a small box buried among the other, much less important or valuable relics, and covered in a very thick layer of dust. It was locked, but after some searching amidst the articles, I found a key that fit in the lock of the mysterious, unmarked box. The moment the box was unlocked the lid slammed open and I was tackled by an unseen force. Before I realized what was happening or could cry out I felt two fangs digging into my neck and what felt like molten lava flowing into my veins. It was only a matter of seconds before I passed out." Here he paused for a moment with a slight smile. "Since nobody trusts my word, you can just barely feel the scars on my neck where it bit me if you want proof," he remarked as he reached up and touched the place on his neck.

"When I awoke many hours later, I soon realized I was not alone, because I could hear someone breathing." Loki continued. "I unsteadily scrambled to a sitting position and wildly looked around. It wasn't hard to locate the glowing bronze-orange eyes that stared down at me, seeming to be a part of the wall itself. A rasping, hissing voice, seeming to come from every direction at once, apologized to me, explaining that it assumed that I was the person who imprisoned it there and wanted to get revenge for the thousands of years it had been caged in the box. It then explained to me that it was actually speaking to me telepathically, for it saw how frightened I was that the voice seemed to be coming from everywhere and nowhere. It also explained that it had, unfortunately, burdened me with it's curse, and that I could use my new ability to phase through walls, but the more I did so, the closer my body would change to the same makeup as it was itself, even though that is what I will become when I die, naturally or otherwise. It also explained that I was the only person who could see and hear it, and that it thought it best that I kept it's existence a secret for the time being. And so I have kept the reality of my closest and most loyal friend a secret all these centuries."

"Where is it now?" Frandal asked nervously. Loki looked around, peering into the shadows between the columns on the audience hall.

"I don't think it is here. It takes a great deal of energy and effort to make itself visible for a few seconds, which it did to try to distract Thor from following me. It's probably slithering sluggishly along the streets, looking for me," Loki mused.

"So you used your phasing ability to walk through the forcefield of your cell, but why have you allegedly been helping the poor? It is not like you," Thor questioned.

"Thor, my crime is for doing a great wrong and injustice against a people, yes?"

"Yes," Thor agreed.

"How does it make sense that I can pay for what I have done by sitting in a cell? To atone for my sins I should be out helping people, bettering their condition instead of rotting in a cell and being no help to anyone. The whole scheme in and of itself was the wraith's idea, but it took little persuasion to get me to go along with it," Loki explained.

"But you said that the more you use your phasing power, the more you turn into a wraith. You actually found slowly changing yourself into a ghost to help the poor worth it?" Sif asked, incredulous.

"That is a small price to pay for a chance to atone for my sins and have a small taste of freedom every night," Loki replied solemnly. They were all quiet for a moment, contemplating all that Loki had said until The Allfather quietly spoke.

"My son, please try to understand the position you have placed me in," he began heavily. "I am not angry with you for trying to help the poor. In fact I laud your selfless efforts, but this cannot go on," he said with a deep sigh. "I have to ensure that you can be contained at all times, and since you have this phasing ability, I know of only one prison that can contain you."

"Odin no!" Frigga whispered desperately, grasping her youngest son's hand as her face went deathly pale. Hers was not the only face to become ashen in the assembly.

"As king of this realm and protector of all the realms of Yggdrasil, I'm afraid I must," Odin said with sorrow in his voice. He stood from his seat on the throne and pounded his staff on the ground to make what he was going to say next official. "I, Odin, King of Asgard, and protector of the nine realms do hereby sentence you, Loki. . ." Here the great king paused and leaned on his staff as though the weight of what he was going to say lay heavy upon him. ". . . sentence you to abide for eternity in the prisons among the roots of the Tree of Yggdrasil." He pounded his staff against the floor again before giving a curt "dismissed" and sank down tiredly onto the throne.

The weary Loki was led away by a large group of soldiers who would take him back to his cell and stand a constant vigil over him all night and the next day until a spacecraft was ready to take him to the roots of Yggdrasil, where only a very few criminals had ever been sent, and only those who had committed the worst kinds of crimes imaginable.

The roots of Yggdrasil were sometimes referred to as the "place of living hell," and was rightly called so. Such tortures were said to have gone on there that would make the blood curdle just to hear it. One rumor had it that a criminal was chained to a rock with snakes caged above him, allowing there venom to drip down on him and caused him to continually cry out and writhe in pain. Such was the torment everyone expected Loki to face when he got there, and no one ever expected to see him again.


	14. Chapter 14 - The Disappearance

Rowena felt sick. She had slipped into the audience hall and had overheard everything that Loki had said and the sentence Odin had passed on him. Now she hurried back through the streets of Asgard to Garmond's shop to tell him and the others the news. When she got there she fairly fell upon the door and knocked insistently on it. Nothing. All was quiet. With a sigh Rowena realized she was a fool, for she had forgotten that they had a secret knock now. With a bit more composure she carefully knocked out the sequence and the door was immediately opened to her. She hurried into the crowded room as everyone pelted her with questions.

"Silence!" Garmond bellowed over the commotion. When everyone had quieted down, Garmond moved a chair out into the middle of the room for Rowena and asked her to sit down. "Now," he continued once she had complied. "Tell us everything that happened."

"Well, The Phantom and I were just finishing our rounds and coming back here, when he suddenly pushed me away and told me to run as the skies suddenly lit up with lightning." Rowena began. "I ran and hid in a stable and saw that Prince Thor was making the lightning before he darted down into the streets. After a few minutes I decided I had better go find them and try to distract Thor from catching The Phantom, but I was too late. When I came upon them something had happened to the Phantom's hand, it was all bloody, and Prince Thor took him back to the palace. But harken to this, The Phantom Watchmen is none other than Prince Loki!" At this a incredulous murmur arose from the assembly.

"It's true!" Rowena protested. "I followed them back to the palace and went in by a different way and waited for them in the audience hall. It turns out that Loki was bitten by a wraith, giving him the ability to phase through walls! He did it with me once, but he told me it was magic. But here's the worst part: because no walls can contain him, and he is supposed to be a prisoner, the King has decided that he must be sent to the prisons among the roots of Yggdrasil!"

Silence. Everyone was to stunned to say anything.

"But. . . he does not deserve that," one woman whispered.

"We should write a petition," one young man suggested. "Beg the Allfather to reconsider."

Everyone murmured in agreement until Garmond's voice rose above the rest. "No," he said firmly, causing everyone to quiet down. "A petition would avail us little given the circumstances. Rather, we must honor The Phantom's legacy and continue to help the poor with no glory to ourselves." Everyone reluctantly agreed. "Everyone go now to your homes, and pray daily to the Norns for mercy for our Phantom Watchman." Everyone quietly filed out the doors until Rowena and Garmond were alone.

"No doubt there will be a crowd to see Prince Loki off. Will you come with me there?" Rowena asked.

"I will," Garmond affirmed. "We must support him to the end, even if he does not see us."

"Agreed," Rowena said as Garmond opened the door and escorted her back to her abode in silence.

The sun rose the next day and illuminated the grand city of Asgard with a gold hue. But despite the cheerful glow of the metropolis there was no joy among the members of the royal household, for today was the day Loki was to be sent off to his dismal doom. The spaceship was prepared for departure, and besides four guards, the two pilots were ready and waiting. The royal family was assembled at the landing platform along with various nobles and officials that had come to ogle at the condemned prince of Asgard. Loki was brought forth from the dungeons, blinking in the brilliant light, as the soldiers moved a respectful distance away that the family might say their final goodbye. Frigga flung her arms around her youngest son and began to sob unconsolable as Loki tried to put comforting arms around her despite his chains.

"Don't cry mother, look at the bright side: you'll never have to worry about me getting into trouble again," Loki said, seemingly indifferent.

"Don't _say_ that, I'll always worry. More now than ever before. Oh my son, I love you _so_ terribly much."

"I suppose it wouldn't do any good to remind you that I'm not your son," Loki said callously.

"You will _always_ be my son Loki. Always," Frigga said as she regained control of herself and pulled away from her son, wiping the tears from her face. Odin stepped up and laid a hand on his wayward son's shoulder.

"I am sorry for the mistakes I have made in the past Loki, but I cannot change what has happened. Please understand that I act now in the best interest of Asgard."

"I sometimes wonder if you do not rule Asgard, but rather that Asgard rules you," Loki said a bit harshly. Odin just gave a slight nod in acquiescence and stepped back as Thor stepped up.

"I always knew that there was still good in you, brother, and I am sorry you must be punished for the good you have done our people." Loki was silent for a few moments, seeming to not be able to think of any derogatory remarks for his brother.

"Promise me something," Loki said abruptly.

"_Almost_ anything," Thor responded with a slight smile.

"Promise me you won't do anything rash or stupid in my absence, will you?" he asked as if he was only going to be gone for a short time. Thor's eyes filled with tears as he embraced his little brother in a tight embrace and said lowly in Loki's ear,

"I promise." They pulled away and Loki gave him a curt nod and started to walk towards the ship as the guards closed around him again.

_"Your friends are here, over to the right,"_ the wraith murmured into his mind. Loki casually looked it that direction and caught sight of Rowena and Garmond. When he saw Rowena's sorrowful face he slowed to a stop as the guards looked curiously at him.

Suddenly Rowena couldn't stand it any longer and she ran up to Loki, much to the guard's shock, and flung her arms around his neck and kissed him full in the mouth, much to his astonishment and everyone else's. When she pulled away after a few moments he laughed, almost gayly, much to the assembly's bewilderment.

"So after all our misadventures, you still insist upon loving worthless me?" he asked flippantly.

"Yes, I do," Rowena replied, thrown a little of balance.

"Whatever possessed you to do that?" he asked casually.

"Love does not follow logic, it goes wherever it wills," Rowena replied earnestly.

"Well you have waisted your time, I have never loved you and I doubt I'll even miss you," he said harshly as he caught sight of Garmond who had come up to stand behind Rowena. "See to it that she finds someone who will actually love and care about her," Loki said as he roughly pushed Rowena towards Garmond and continued on to the space ship with long, quick strides.

Rowena was stunned. Tears wouldn't even come to her eyes as she watched Loki board the ship and depart into the sky. The royal family came up to them and the Queen gently put her arm around Rowena's shoulders.

"He was lying," Garmond said quietly, immediately gaining Rowena's attention. "When he looked up at me I could see the aching affection, the regret, the sorrow in his eyes. I think he really did love you Rowena, but wanted you to hate and despise him so that you would not be heartbroken."

Rowena bowed her head into her hands as the tears finally came.

It takes six days to travel to the roots of Yggdrasil and six days to travel back. This was the fourteenth day from Loki and his escort's departure. Thor strode quickly into the audience chamber and it was immediately evident that Odin had come to the same conclusion as Thor had.

"Ships must be sent to search for the missing vessel," Odin said at Thor's approach. "Take five ships and all the men you need and search for them," he commanded.

"Right away, Father," Thor said as he strode out of the audience hall mere seconds after he had entered. Sif and the Warriors Three were waiting for him without.

"Did he agree with your proposal?" Sif asked as they approached Thor.

"Yes, but I didn't even have to ask. Did you have the five ships prepared as I told you?" Thor inquired.

"Everything is ready for our departure," Frandal confirmed.

"Excellent, let us go," Thor said as they headed toward the spaceship docks.

Eight days after Thor's departure, one ship returned bearing grim news. Prince Thor had sent the one ship back to Asgard bearing the remains of the body of one of the guards assigned to Loki. The body could not be identified any further, so mangled and burnt it was. The crew of the ship reported that the others had remained to search for more wreckage and evidence in that area of space, and would return in two more days.

Two days later, right on schedule, the fours ships returned. Thor went to the audience chamber to make his report to his parents and the other noblemen and officials.

"What did you find?" Odin inquired when Thor reached the base of the stairs before the throne.

"Very little," Thor replied in a grim voice. "Besides the body we found floating in space that was returned here earlier, we found only a few small chard pieces of hull from the ship, and that was all."

"No evidence of who attacked the ship or what happened to the other passengers?" Frigga asked despondently.

"No, nothing," Thor said dejectedly. "I have asked Heimdal to continue looking for them, so for now all we can do is wait."

They had appeared out of nowhere. Before anyone on the ship bound for the prisons of Yggdrasil could react, a tractor beam had locked onto them and was pulling them towards the massive cube. The direness of the moment gave incentive for the guards to yield to Loki's pleas and unlock the chains that not only bound his hands but also his magic. When his bonds were loosed he immediately launched an attack on the ship and destroyed the tractor beam. As soon as the ship was free it went at full speed back on it's course. But the speed of the Asgardian ship was nothing compared to the speed which the giant cube could exert. In a matter of seconds it was back on top of them, and sent a short burst of energy into the engines of the ship, causing them to explode and instantly killing one of the guards who was standing to close to the engines, and wounding or knocking out the other guards.

Loki too was throne against the wall from the impact, and as he drifted off into unconsciousness he saw three figures appear from nothing inside their ship and say in unison,

"We are the Borg. You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile."

_The End _

_But Also The Beginning_

**A/N: Obviously, an explanation is is order. I had trouble figuring out how to end this story, so I decided to make is go right into my next story, which is in progress but not yet posted. As you might be able to tell if you are a Star Trek fan, the next story will be a crossover. If you like my stories, check out my account on , on which I update and post on MUCH more quickly, because it is much easier to use than this website. Also, if you are a picture lover like me, check out this story on Quotev and it will have a picture for every chapter. Thanks for reading! Comments are appreciated. **


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